When he was a managing partner for a regional brokerage firm, Ryan Rodrigue saw many national firms over the years try to acquire the agency. But it wasn’t until 2019 when HUB International Limited entered the picture that something felt different. It wasn’t simply the enticing growth opportunities and expanded resources for clients that attracted Rodrigue, it was what he called a “great culture fit.”
HUB International is a leading North American insurance brokerage that provides employee benefits, business, and personal insurance products and services. They help companies and individuals navigate the complex landscape of insurance and risk management to help protect what matters most to them.
After the merger, Rodrigue became responsible for leading his benefits team through new business development and client-focused strategic benefit consulting. As managing partner, he is responsible for the strategic direction, management, finances, growth, and the business operations of Hollis Companies. He describes HUB International as an organization that values entrepreneurship, integrity, teamwork, accountability, and service.
Ryan Rodrigue grew up in Thibodaux and has lived in south Louisiana his entire life. After completing his education at Harvard on the Bayou, Nicholls State University, he moved to the New Orleans area in 2009. He has been a broker and consultant for a little over ten years.
Insurance is particularly challenging right now for individuals and businesses alike Rodrigue shares, so no two days in the office are the same. But that is a daily challenge he is ready to face. “I really enjoy helping our clients find solutions to the challenges of rising costs and a scarcity of insurers available to them,” he said.
From leadership to his team and colleagues, Rodrigue describes HUB as having a best-in-industry group with a spirit of teamwork and collaboration prevalent throughout the organization.
“I’m very fortunate to be able to work alongside a team of phenomenal professionals in an effort to deliver best in class service and support to our clients and their employees,” Rodrigue said.
There isn’t a one size fits all approach to the way that HUB does business. Rodrigue said that because each client has unique needs, he’s afforded the autonomy and flexibility to do what is in the best interests of his clients to best support them. At HUB, they do not stop working once they’ve addressed a client’s current needs but are always looking for trends and future challenges the client might face and how to best address them.
HUB International is of course an international company, but they maintain a strong and mutually beneficial relationship with the Greater New Orleans area and the gulf region at large. The HUB Gulf South Headquarters is located in Metairie, where they employ several hundred people in the Greater New Orleans region and nearly 1,000 people across their Gulf South footprint.
Of the company’s relationship to the gulf south, Rodrigue said HUB has earned the trust of thousands of companies who rely on them for help. They prioritize engagement, participation, and support of many local civic and philanthropic efforts across the region.
“It’s no secret that our region faces many challenges,” Rodrigue said. “Insurance being one of them, along with economic opportunity, business and legal climate, infrastructure, public safety, education, workforce development.” He said he sees these as major areas of opportunity for the state and region to improve upon.
Rodrigue’s answer to these challenges is to get involved. He is part of several business, civic, and philanthropic organizations in the area.
“I really enjoy my work with the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, GNO Inc., and New Orleans Chamber. I’m honored to currently serve as Board Chairman for the Jefferson Chamber,” Rodrigue said. “Working with these organizations provides an opportunity to advocate for improvements in these areas.”
Like HUB International, Rodrigue is also committed to the future success of the southern Louisiana region. Having spent his entire life here, it’s his dream that his young children will choose to finish their education, have quality career opportunities, and one day raise families of their own in Louisiana without sacrificing quality of life as compared to other states in the region.
When it comes to facing challenges in the workplace, Rodrigue says it’s all about the day-to-day successes. “From managing a challenging policy renewal, to helping an individual with a claim, I find it truly rewarding to help a client through a process that would have been challenging for them without our assistance,” Rodrigue said.
The insurance and risk management world is constantly changing, but HUB International continues to make investments in specialty practice resources and technology to provide their clients with data and support to make the most informed decisions possible.
“It’s hard to know for sure what the future will hold, but I know that HUB is committed to investing in the talent and resources to continue to offer a breadth and depth of services which are unmatched in the industry,” Rodrigue said.
